Fuel economy is one of the main factors we all consider when buying a new car. The better a car is at fuel efficiency, the more money we can save, and of course, some cars are better at this than others. So imagine having a vehicle that only gets 8 MPG out of its gasoline, something that would be a deal-breaker for most of us.
However, one user on Facebook says that, while he has a military surplus truck that does just 8 MPG, he is able to get his fuel for the truck for free. That sounds incredibly fanciful and basically impossible, but it really does appear to be the case.
The driver in question is AJ (@the_offgridguru), and he discussed this and showed off a video of the truck on Facebook. It all started after he responded to a comment that had stated the fuel economy of his truck sucked, and he wanted to try to set the record straight.
“The problem is that you get 8 miles to the gallon on a good day,” the commenter wrote. The Facebook user said that it was actually a fair point. However, he also said they were missing some context with this, and there is a reason he was able to save big money on his gasoline bill.
How the Man Claimed He Could Drive the Truck for Free
The truck is an M35A2, a former military cargo truck that wasn’t built for high gas economy. It was built to transport cargo or troops around, and it is certainly an interesting choice for a daily driver. AJ went on to say that the reason his fuel economy isn’t an issue is down to what lies under the hood.
“It is equipped with a Hercules multi-fuel engine,” he said in his video. The idea behind this is that, if supply chains for troops were cut off, the vehicles would still need to get around. So, other forms of fuel may have to be used. That is where the neat trick comes in, as this truck was designed to run on virtually anything that was combustible. In fact, AJ even spoke to Vietnam War veterans who explained how that worked.
“They would go to those big transformer boxes—they were full of oil—they would put a bucket underneath them,” he said. “Then they would aim up and shoot the transformer, and it would drain mineral oil down into the bucket,” he added. So, if things went awry, this is how they would get the fuel for the trucks, which was full of various chemicals that humans would do best to avoid.
How Aj Gets Around in His Former Military Truck
AJ doesn’t have to shoot any transformers now that the truck is no longer in military use. In fact, he simply uses donated used motor oil, the sort of oil you would get out of a car that is thrown away once an oil change is complete. As it is donated, AJ doesn’t pay a thing, even if he is lucky to get a maximum of 8 MPG out of his former military truck.
“Fuel is not a problem when you are recycling waste motor oil. I can essentially drive my truck for free,” the video caption read. This isn’t something you can do with any vehicle. The engine in this particular truck helped AJ to be able to drive the truck on the used motor oil.
One thing drivers have to watch out for is viscosity and contamination. As the oil is thicker than diesel and full of random dirt and muck, this could damage engines in various vehicles. So while AJ could use his truck on the old motor oil, this isn’t a method that will work for everyone.